Murji'ah

Deviant

المرجئة

Overview

An early theological school that emerged in the late 7th century as a reaction to the Khawarij extremism on faith and sin. They held that actions are not part of faith (iman), and that as long as one holds belief in the heart, sins do not harm one's faith or status as a Muslim. The name derives from irja' (postponement) — they 'postponed' judgment on Muslim sinners to Allah alone.

Key Beliefs

  • Faith (iman) consists only of heart belief — actions are not part of faith
  • No Muslim who holds correct belief in the heart can be harmed by sin
  • Judgment on sinners is deferred entirely to Allah — no distinction between levels of faith

Scholarly Evaluation

Condemned by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ahl us-Sunnah scholars as a deviant position on faith. While they erred on the relationship between faith and actions, they did not typically reach the level of outside-the-fold as they did not deny any fundamentals of the deen. Ahl us-Sunnah holds that faith increases and decreases, and that actions are part of faith. Note: Some Murji'ah positions influenced later Hanafi discussions on the definition of iman — but classical Hanafis are not Murji'ah; they have distinct nuances.

Key Figures

  • Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah (attributed early sympathy)
  • Abu al-Husayn al-Salihi

Sources

  • Kitab al-Iman (Ibn Mandah)
  • Al-Sunnah (Ibn Abi Asim)
  • Majmu' al-Fatawa (Ibn Taymiyyah) — on iman and its components

Founded

81h (700 CE)